The present invention relates to a process for cooling during exothermic reactions, and in particular in a stirrer reactor. Cooling fluid is constantly supplied from above into vertical boiling tubes which are closed at the bottom. The vapor produced is removed upwardly in counter current to the cooling fluid. The invention also relates to a reactor, and in particular a stirrer reactor, for carrying out exothermic reactions.
In a known reactor of this type (German Patent 952,435), the boiling tube is a so called "Field tube" i.e. it has a double wall. The cooling, fluid is carried down through the inner tube which is open at both ends while the vapor produced is drawn off between the two tubes and is condensed in a condensation chamber which is separated from the reaction chamber by a partition.
This reactor and the cooling process employed in it are only suitable for removing small quantities heat produced since the degree of heat exchange is not of great. The fact that the cooling tubes are double walled involves considerable constructional complication since the inner tubes must be supported by the outer tubes.
It is also known (British Patent 144,614), to control the temperature of chemical reactions by connecting vertical tubes partly filled with mercury to a collecting pipe. The mercury is evaporated by the heat evolved in the chemical reaction and the vapors are deposited in the upper, filled part of the tubes. The cooling circuit thus takes place inside the tubes. The vapors must not even reach as far as the transverse collecting pipe as this would involve the risk of the cooling tubes being unevenly filled and the only slightly filled tubes would burn through. For removing considerable quantities of heat, the tubes would have to be very long, which would adversely affect their stability.
The problem arises of finding a cooling process and a reactor which would provide a high rate of heat transfer and which would have a more simply constructed cooling system.